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Rank: Advanced Member
Joined: 3/7/2009 Posts: 33,686 Neurons: 100,236 Location: Inside Farlex computers
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Plain Cigarette Packaging Prompts Smokers to Call QuitlinesIn October 2012, Australia introduced plain, olive green packaging for cigarettes that prominently feature a smoking-cessation helpline number, and the effort to curb the appeal of cigarettes appears to be working. Within a month of the redesigned packages reaching store shelves, calls to territorial quitlines spiked 78 percent. Six years earlier, Australia introduced cigarette packaging with bold health warnings and graphic medical images of cancerous lungs and gangrenous limbs. This was also associated with a spike in calls to quitlines, but the effect lasted only 20 weeks. The effect of the new, plain packaging is estimated at more than twice this. More...
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Rank: Newbie
Joined: 3/24/2009 Posts: 13 Neurons: 39
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Wouldn't a more useful study be, are cigarette sales dropping?
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 Rank: Newbie
Joined: 1/4/2014 Posts: 8 Neurons: 5,825 Location: Andover, Massachusetts, United States
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That would certainly be a good study to do in conjunction with this one! Now that they've determined the plain packaging gets people to call, they can keep an eye on cigarette sales to see whether calling the helplines actually assists with smoking cessation.
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 Rank: Advanced Member
Joined: 6/2/2009 Posts: 5,408 Neurons: 87,618 Location: Drain, Oregon, United States
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MEFreshwater wrote:Wouldn't a more useful study be, are cigarette sales dropping? It could be, but there are a limited number of quit lines, and those would be motivated to participate in research such as this. There are probably tens of thousands of individual cigarette retailers, who are not particularly motivated to spend their own time and money to turn in sales stats.
Sometimes, rather than going for the ideal, we must take the available.
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 Rank: Member
Joined: 12/24/2013 Posts: 262 Neurons: 26,893 Location: Vila Velha, Espirito Santo, Brazil
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Why doesn't do the same with the alcohol drinks?
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 Rank: Advanced Member
Joined: 12/26/2010 Posts: 538 Neurons: 23,973 Location: Hebron, Connecticut, United States
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I remember during the congressional hearing that the cigarette executives lied, while under oath, that cigarette smoking was not harmful to one's health. We've come a long way, baby, if I may quote from a Leo Barnett advertisemet for Virginia Slim, from blaming the smoker to blaming the industry. And with that switch of focus there will be less monstrous deads from cancer.
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 Rank: Advanced Member
Joined: 9/9/2010 Posts: 1,937 Neurons: 45,980 Location: Orange, New South Wales, Australia
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The cowboy on the horse created an image of masculinity, but that 'Marlboro Man' died of lung cancer. He actually took the tobacco company to court when he was diagnosed.
In Australia, no tobacco related products are on display, so, not only are the vast colourful packets on display in glass cabinets/shelves 'no longer on view', but, they have been substituted by plain packaging which is out of sight behind cupboard doors. Proof of age ID has to be shown before purchase if there is any doubt as to the age of the buyer. The Government actually get underage youths to try and purchase tobacco to test if the seller is complying with the law. If not, he gets a stiff fine.
This has made a huge difference to what was highly visible and tempting to the gullible teenagers. Stop them smoking when young and you nip the problem in the bud. The vast majority of smokers picked up the habit as teenagers. Very few older people take up smoking. There are also 'no smoking in the work place, in clubs, pubs and restaurants, in government buildings, shopping centres, public transport, taxis', and, there are 'smoke free zones' in some streets.
The statistics on people smoking are showing a decrease in those smoking. It is working and that is why the huge multinational tobacco companies have been targeting Asia for some time as there seems to be a trend to smoke in those countries and there are no laws to restrict smoking. There is no doubt whatsoever that tobacco companies do not possess a conscience. Quote Guto André: Why doesn't do the same with the alcohol drinks? They tried that in the US with prohibition. It doesn't work as all it did was to put the alcohol making and distribution 'underground'. Too many were prepared to break the law and make big illegal profits.[image not available] The first Marlboro Man to die of lung cancer.
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